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X

shall they be found faultie: hee shall breake downe their altars: he shall spoile their images. For now they shall say, We have no King, because we feared not the LORD, What then should a King doe to us? They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus iudgement springeth up as hemlocke in the furrowes of the field. The inhabitants of Samaria shall feare, because of the calves of Bethaven: for the people thereof shall mourne over it, and the priests thereof that reioyced on it, for the glory thereof, because it is departed from it. It shall be also caried unto Assyria for a present to King Iareb: Ephraim shall receive shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his owne counsell. As for Samaria, her King is cut off as the fome upon the water. The high places also of Aven, the sinne of Israel, shall be destroyed the thorne and the thistle shall come up on their altars; and they shall say to the mountaines, Cover us; and to the hilles, Fall on us. O Israel, thou hast sinned from the dayes of Gibeah: there they stood: the battell in Gibeah against the children of iniquitie did not overtake them. It is in my desire that I should chastise them, and the people shall be gathered against them, when they shall bind themselves in their two furrowes. And Ephraim is as an heifer that is taught and loveth to tread out the corne, but I passed over upon her faire necke: I will make Ephraim to ride: Iudah shall plow, and Iacob shall breake his clods. Sow to your selves in righteousnesse, reape in mercie: breake up your fallow ground: for it is time to seeke the LORD, till he come and raine righteousnesse upon you. Ye have plowed wickednesse, yee have reaped iniquitie, ye have eaten the fruite of lies: because thou didst trust in thy way, in the multitude of thy mightie men. Therefore shall a tumult arise among thy people, and all thy fortresses shall bee spoiled, as Shalman spoiled Beth-arbel in the day of battell: the mother was dashed in pieces upon her children. So shall Bethel doe unto you, because of your great wickednesse in a morning shall the king of Israel be utterly cut off.

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The ingratitude of Israel unto God for his benefits.

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CHAPTER XI

HEN Israel was a childe, then I loved him, and called my sonne out of Egypt. As they called them, so they went from them they sacrificed unto Baalim, and burnt incense to graven images. I taught Ephraim also to goe, taking them by their armes: but they knew not that I healed them. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love, and I was to

them as they that take off the yoke on their iawes, and I laid CHAPTER meat unto them.

XI

He shall not returne into the land of Egypt; but the Assyrian His iudgement. shall be his king, because they refused to returne. And the sword shall abide on his cities, and shall consume his branches, and devoure them, because of their own counsels. And my people are bent to backesliding from mee: though they called them to

the most High, none at all would exalt him. How shall I give Gods mercy thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I toward them. make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? mine heart is turned within mee, my repentings are kindled together. I will not execute the fiercenes of mine anger, I will not returne to destroy Ephraim, for I am God, and not man, the Holy One in the midst of thee, and I will not enter into the citie. They shal walke after the LORD: he shall roare like a lyon: when he shall roare, then the children shall tremble from the West. They shall tremble as a bird out of Egypt, and as a dove out of the land of Assyria and I will place them in their houses, saith the LORD. Ephraim compasseth mee about with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit but Iudah yet ruleth with God, and is faithfull with the Saints.

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CHAPTER XII

Iudah, and

PHRAIM feedeth on winde, and followeth after the East A reproofe of winde hee daily increaseth lies and desolation, and they Ephraim, doe make a covenant with the Assyrians, and oyle is caried Iacob.' into Egypt. The LORD hath also a controversie with Iudah, and will punish Iacob according to his wayes, according to his doings will he recompense him.

exhorteth to

Hee tooke his brother by the heele in the wombe, and by his By former strength he had power with God. Yea, he had power over the favours he Angel and prevailed: hee wept and made supplication unto him: repentance. he found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us. Even the LORD God of hosts, the LORD is his memoriall. Therefore turne thou to thy God: keepe mercie and iudgement, and wait on thy God continually.

voke God.

He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand hee Ephraims loveth to oppresse. And Ephraim said, Yet I am become rich, I sinnes prohave found mee out substance: in all my labours they shall finde none iniquitie in mee, that were sinne. And I that am the LORD thy God from the lande of Egypt, will yet make thee to dwell in tabernacles, as in the dayes of the solemne feast. I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used

XII

CHAPTER similitudes, by the ministerie of the prophets. Is there iniquitie in Gilead? surely they are vanitie, they sacrifice bullocks in Gilgal, yea their altars are as heapes in the furrowes of the fields. And Iacob fled into the countrey of Syria, and Israel served for a wife, and for a wife he kept sheepe. And by a Prophet the LORD brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a Prophet was he preserved. Ephraim provoked him to anger, most bitterly: therefore shall he leave his blood upon him, and his reproch shall his Lord returne unto him.

Ephraims glory, by reason of idolatry, vanisheth.

Gods anger for their unkindnes.

A promise of
Gods mercie.

A iudgement

for rebellion.

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CHAPTER XIII

HEN Ephraim spake, trembling, he exalted himselfe in Israel, but, when he offended in Baal, he died. And now they sinne more and more, and have made them molten images of their silver, and idoles according to their owne understanding, all of it the worke of the craftesmen: they say of them, Let the men that sacrifice, kisse the calves. Therefore they shalbe as the morning cloud, and as the early dew it passeth away, as the chaffe that is driven with a whirlewinde out of the floore, and as the smoke out of the chimney. Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God, but me for there is no saviour beside me.

I did know thee in the wildernesse, in the land of great drought. According to their pasture, so were they filled: they were filled, and their heart was exalted: therefore have they forgotten me. Therefore I will bee unto them as a Lion, as a Leopard by the way will I observe them. I will meet them as a beare that is bereaved of her whelpes, and will rent the kall of their heart, and there will I devoure them like a Lion: the wilde beast shall teare them.

O Israel, thou hast destroied thy selfe, but in me is thine helpe. I will be thy King: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy Iudges of whom thou saidst, Give me a King and Princes? I gave thee a king in mine anger, and tooke him away in my wrath. The iniquitie of Ephraim is bound up: his sinne is hid. The sorrowes of a traveiling woman shall come upon him, he is an unwise sonne, for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking foorth of children. I will ransome them from the power of the grave: I will redeeme them from death: O death, I will be thy plagues, O grave, I will be thy destruction; repentance shall be hid from mine eyes.

Though he be fruitfull among his brethren, an East winde shall come, the winde of the LORD shall come up from the wildernesse, and his spring shall become drie, and his fountaine shalbe dried up:

XIII

he shall spoile the treasure of all pleasant vessels. Samaria shall CHAPTER become desolate, for she hath rebelled against her God: they shall fall by the sword: their infants shalbe dashed in pieces, and their women with childe shalbe ript up.

CHAPTER XIIII

ISRAEL, returne unto the LORD thy God; for thou hast An exhortation fallen by thine iniquitie. Take with you words, and turne to repentance. to the LORD, say unto him, Take away all iniquitie, and

receive us graciously: so will wee render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us, we will not ride upon horses, neither will wee say any more to the work of our hands, Yee are our gods: for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie.

I will heale their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine A promise of anger is turned away from him. I wil be as the dew unto Israel: Gods blessing. hee shall grow as the lillie, and cast foorth his rootes as Lebanon. His branches shall spread, and his beautie shalbe as the olive tree, and his smell as Lebanon. They that dwell under his shadow shall returne: they shall revive as the corne, and grow as the vine, the sent thereof shalbe as the wine of Lebanon. Ephraim shall say, What have I to doe any more with idoles? I have heard him, and observed him: I am like a greene firre tree, from me is thy fruite found. Who is wise, and hee shall understand these things? prudent, and hee shall know them? for the wayes of the LORD are right, and the iust shall walke in them: but the transgressours shall fall therein.

Ioel, declaring sundry iudgements of God, exhorteth to observe them,

and to mourne.

IOEL

CHAPTER I

HE word of the LORD that came to Ioel the sonne of Pethuel. Heare this, yee olde men, and give eare, all yee inhabitants of the lande: Hath this been in your dayes, or even in the dayes of your fathers? Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation. That which the palmer worme hath left, hath the locust eaten; and that which the locust hath left, hath the canker-worme eaten; and that which the canker-worme hath left, hath the caterpillar eaten. Awake ye drunkards, and weepe, and howle all yee drinkers of wine, because of the new wine, for it is cut off from your mouth. For a nation is come up upon my lande, strong, and without number, whose teeth are the teeth of a lyon, and he hath the cheeke-teeth of a great lyon. He hath laide my vine waste: and barked my figge-tree: hee hath made it cleane bare, and cast it away, the branches thereof are made white.

Lament like a virgine girded with sackecloth for the husband of her youth. The meate offring and the drinke offering is cut off from the house of the LORD, the Priestes the LORDS ministers mourne. The field is wasted, the lande mourneth; for the corne is wasted: the new wine is dried up, the oyle languisheth. Be yee ashamed, O yee husbandmen: howle, O yee vine-dressers, for the wheate and for the barley; because the harvest of the field is perished. The vine is dried up, and the figge-tree languisheth, the pomegranate tree, the palme tree also and the apple tree, even all the trees of the field are withered: because ioy is withered away from the sonnes of men. Gird your selves, and lament, yee Priests: howle, ye ministers of the Altar: come, lie all night in sackecloth, ye ministers of my God: for the meat offering and the drinke offering is withholden from the house of your God.